Scripture
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
Reflection
The economy of the Kingdom of God is unlike this present world and age. Power, beauty, money, fame, strength and confidence are the attributes with strongest appeal in this current world, but not so with the Kingdom. In the Kingdom, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. The blessed ones will be those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, are merciful, pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who have been persecuted in Jesus name. Similarly, what we once hid from in this age, the fear of the Lord, we will delight in in the next age. So take heart and stand firm when your Christian life and all you believe in and seek seem to stand in stark contrast to the standards of this world. For you are living a life in the Spirit and he has begun to show you what God truly values.
Thoughts for the day
- What does this passage tell you about God or Jesus?
- What does this passage tell you about humanity?
- What do you feel God is telling you through this passage?
- How can you apply this message in an area of your life that needs transformation?
- Is there anyone you think should hear or will benefit from this message? Go and tell them.
Prayer
When challenges come we can so easily forget where our identity comes from. Today take time to pause and be reminded of God’s love for you.